Evangelistic Crusade Draws 70,000 People in Brazil

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Over the weekend, an evangelistic crusade organized by a Brazilian megachurch pastor and televangelist attracted around 70,000 people.

Pastor Silas Lima Malafaia delivered gospel messages at the Vida Vitoriosa para Você (Victorious Life for You) event in the southern city of Florianopolis.

Some 4,500 came to the front of the stage to give their lives to Jesus during the event.

"Satan lost once again. Glory to God," declared Malafaia, saying he was happy for one more victory.

Malafaia is President-Pastor of the Assembly of God Vitória em Cristo Church, which has about 20,000 members. He is also the televangelist host of a TV program called Vitória em Cristo (Victory in Christ), which has been on air for 29 years on the national TV network that also reaches the United States, Europe and Africa.

During those two nights, many testimonies were heard, including of José Bartolomeu, 28, who said that through the sermon he realized he needed to be changed so that he may have a victorious life.

"Today this event changed my life. It seemed that Silas knew my history of life and was preaching directly to me. For this reason I didn't doubt and decided to give my life to Jesus," said the young Catholic, who was just passing by and decided to join the event.

But some people traveled 13 hours just to join the event. This was the case for Lindolfo Alves, 83, who came from São Paulo (another state) alone, convinced that this event would be a blessing to his life.

"I have heart and cataract problems. I was already discouraged by the doctors. But I've been watching Pastor Silas Malafaia's program for years and he taught me that it is necessary to have faith in order to receive the victory. So here I am, believing in the victory," said the evangelical Christian of 40 years.

As Saturday evening took off, people started arriving to the venue to guarantee space near the stage.

The theme was "Life is possible with movement and participation." Pastor Malafaia emphasized that a victorious life comes only when people's attitude have the right direction, or are correct according to the Word of God.

"Regardless of belief or religion, everyone belongs to the spiritual world and it is up to everyone to choose whether he wants to live eternally with Christ or not," the speaker said.

He also pointed out that families need discipline and affection because "people need to learn these two essential because it teaches them how to live in a social environment and how to have a fruitful relationship within the family and society."

By the end of the event, 18-year-old Marina Muniz didn't have the strength to speak with the news crew. She was so impacted by the preaching that she cried from the beginning until the end of the event. The young girl said that she knew the word of God because her mother is a Christian, but she never considered that the gospel is the truth.

"I came to this event by her invitation. She always told me about the love of Christ and warned me about the deliverance God gave me. But I didn't give it attention," she said.

When she arrived, Muniz preferred to be seated on the other side of the street. However, according to her, the Holy Spirit broke her down in such a way that she was motivated to get up and go to the front of the stage where she accepted Christ.

"The words talked directly to my heart. I had certainly thought I could not lose this opportunity to not give my life to Jesus," she testified.

Finally, Malafaia invited the public to cry out to God and intercede for the city, prophesizing the blessings of the Lord upon Florianopolis. All at once, he declared that the city belonged to Jesus and the event ended with joy and worship.

Since 2007, Pastor Silas Malafaia has traveled the country delivering the message of faith and hope in the gospel.

"I travel the country of great regional and cultural diversity such as Brazil where proclaiming the gospel is our purpose. We want to be a blessing of God to Brazil. We understand that only the Lord can bring solution to the issues such as drugs and crime," declared the pastor.

The event Vida Vitoriosa para Você has taken place in at least 11 main cities in the country and has attracted a total of more than 1 million people.